The core of the MACS Student Assistance Program is a team of school employees who have received specialized training from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Approved SAP Training Providers. This team includes teachers, the school counselor, the building coordinator and a school administrator. This team is often called the "core team." The SAP core team works toward early identification of alcohol/drug abuse problems as well as behavioral and mental health concerns, including but not limited to, anxiety, depression or other mental health issues. The overall goal is to identify and address these problems in a timely manner. The hope is to assist students in their personal growth while also fostering a successful school experience. The core team will assist in the following ways:

 

• By offering an intervention plan that may include a recommendation for further evaluation.

• By sharing any results and recommendations with each student and his or her family.

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One of the most important tasks of a SAP core team is to build a working partnership with families, focusing on the student's success as their common goal. In addition, the core team may offer student-centered services such as educational support groups and aftercare resources. The team may also assist families in identifying options for professional support when the problem is beyond the scope of the school. Participation in the Student Assistance Program is voluntary and is offered as a source of help and support for the student and the family. When a student needs assistance outside of the school setting, knowing how and where to find assistance can be overwhelming. The SAP core team will help students and their family access services and resources outside of the school.

 

The overall purpose is to assist students who may have been negatively affected by life situations. Of note, the core team is not intended to provide treatment nor to discipline students. It is dedicated to helping students recognize potential dangers and to provide options for change and/or recovery. We believe in the right of the individual and his or her family to decide on their personal course of action. The team has successfully accomplished their mission when a student and his or her family have an awareness of a problem and recommendations have been given to assist the family to resolve the problem. The decision to seek that assistance rests with the student and his or her family.

 

For information regarding the SAP program as a statewide initiative in Pennsylvania, please visit the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program website: http://www.sap.state.pa.us/.​

 

Examples of Barriers to Learning

 

Some of the barriers to learning a student may experience include:

• Use of, or pressure to use alcohol, tobacco or other drugs

• Depression or anxiety

• Relationship problems

• Emotional disorders

• Aggression toward or from others

• Grief due to separation or death

• Disruptive life changes

• Violence or safety concerns

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Signs and Symptoms of Possible Alcohol and/or Drug Use

 

• Drop in grades, decline in study habits or attitude about school

• Loss of interest in activities including sports, and clubs

• Change in friends

• Decline in self-esteem

• Change in eating and sleeping habits

• Defying authority

• Undependable or irresponsible

• Lack of initiative or motivation

• Personality changes, uncharacteristic behavior, unpredictable, inconsistent, mood swings

• Paranoid, secretive

• Physical changes, energy level, personal hygiene, bloodshot eyes

• Use of cover-ups (sunglasses, breath mints, room freshener)

• Drug paraphernalia or containers

• Impaired memory, concentration or confusion

• Quick-tempered and volatile

• Isolating or withdrawing from family activities

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What Laws Regulate The SAP program?

 

Family Educational Rights & Privacy Act (FERPA)

This law gives parents the right to inspect, upon request, all SAP records maintained by the school, including behavior checklists or any other information contained in the SAP records. This law also limits access of school records only to those in school who have "legitimate education interests."

 

Protection of Pupil Rights Act (PPRA)

This law prohibits students from being required to submit to a survey, analysis, or evaluation which would reveal, among other provisions, private information including mental or psychological problems potentially embarrassing to the student or his/her family; as well as illegal, anti-social, or self-incriminating behavior without prior consent.

It is important to remember that schools and community agencies operate under fundamentally different statutes. While parents have full access to their child's school-related records under school law, minors have much more control over their records under community agency laws as dictated by the Department of Public Health. If a parent/guardian signs a consent form for treatment so they at their child can have an evaluation by a mental health or dug & alcohol assessor/counselor, the results may not be able to be disclosed even at the request of the parent/guardian. Any child, at any age, can request that all information disclosed in the evaluation process to the D & A assessor/counselor remain confidential. Any child having a mental health evaluation can refuse information given about that evaluation to his/her parents at the age of 14 or older. It is the MACS SAP team’s philosophy to strongly encourage students to sign a release form for their parents/guardians. We feel that it is important to involve the parent(s)/guardian(s) in the assessment/counseling process.